18-year old Lagavulin from European Oak
The LAGAVULIN™ 2013 special festival bottling, from whisky distilled in 1995, has been aged in ex European Oak Sherry Butts, and was personally selected by Lagavulin warehouseman Iain McArthur.
Triple-matured Caol Ila 12 yo
This year’s CAOL ILA™ special festival bottling is a little special and unusual, explains distillery manager Billy Stitchell, who personally selected the whisky:
“Spirit distilled in 1998 has been triple-cask matured. For 12 years it rested in a combination of Refill Butts, Hogsheads and Barrels. The vatted whisky was then allowed to mature for several months in active hogshead casks to impart a spicy/oaky note to the existing delicate Caol Ila smoke. Finally it was treated to a final gentle maturation in European oak.”
Both bottles will be on sale to individual visitors at the distilleries priced at £99. The Lagavulin festival bottling goes on sale at the distillery at 10:00 am on Saturday 25 May (Lagavulin open day); the Caol Ila bottling goes on sale at 10:00 am at the distillery on Monday 27 May – in both cases with an allocation of two bottles per customer.
Each release has been bottled at natural cask strength and comes in limited editions of 3,000 individually-numbered bottles.
Dr Nick Morgan, Diageo’s Head of Whisky Outreach, commented:
“We are again delighted to have two exceptional whiskies from Lagavulin and Caol Ila which we have bottled for the enjoyment of those visitors who come to celebrate Islay’s great whiskies and whisky-making traditions with us during the Fèis.
“In the past our special single-cask Festival bottlings have sold out very rapidly, leading to disappointment for some visitors, and unfortunately allowing others to profit from their misfortune by re-selling bottles at inflated prices. This was never our intention. “So this year we are releasing slightly more generous volumes without compromising the quality of our offering. We hope this will enable all Fèis visitors who want to buy a bottle as a memento of of their visit to do so.”
Indeed there is a price Jump, but more bottles, so hopefully one would be able to get one for a fair amount even after Feis Ile.